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UN Geneva office welcomes IOM joining UN system

Xinhua, July 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

The director-general of the UN at Geneva (UNOG) Michael Moller on Tuesday welcomed the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as an official organization of the UN system.

The move took place as a result of a resolution unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly on July 25, approving the agreement to accept IOM in the UN system.

"Having IOM as part of the UN family is crucial at a time when migration has established itself as one of the key realities of our era," Moller said in a statement issued Tuesday

He added that the IOM has always been an important UN partner in Geneva and that the collaboration would become even more fruitful with the agreement.

The signing of the agreement between UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IOM Director-General William Lacy Swing is expected to take place in New York during the Summit for Refugees and Migrants on Sept. 19.

IOM members agreed to join the UN system at the end of last month in a special conference held here in Geneva.

IOM was created in 1951 out of the chaos and displacement of western Europe following the WWII.

From its roots as an operational logistics agency, it has broadened its scope to become the leading international agency working with the governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

On Tuesday, an IOM report said that 3,034 maritime migrant and refugee deaths have been documented so far this year, with the number of migrant sea arrivals into Europe fast approaching the 250,000 mark. Endit